


a dance of death

by fungifaeries



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28616418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fungifaeries/pseuds/fungifaeries
Summary: kirumaki queen and assassin au
Relationships: Harukawa Maki/Tojo Kirumi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	a dance of death

a velvet curtain of red weighed maki down as she lurked towards a corner of the magnificent ball room, especially prepared for an open masquerade inside the very palace itself. it was packed to the brim, as expected, and somehow she'd managed to sneak past it all to the very center- where her target was.

in reality, this was all too easy, suspiciously easy, even. the perfect time and place to hire an assassin like harukawa to take care of the queen herself. it was foolish to be sent here, but here she was anyway, the cold metal of a blade pressed up against one of the folds of her black suit jacket, which was needlessly tight and restricted her movement.

they really went for gold expenses on this hire, because maki was adorned in a very high quality suit, fabric cool and sleek, but not a kind that she was able to put a name on, for she was very much a stranger to the walks of life that led to you wearing such fine clothing. the red cape she wore made it even hard to maneuver around, so how would she even kill the queen? one benefit of the disguise was the mask at least, even if it was a bit childish- a simple black crow mask, no gold gilding, no bedazzling fake jewels, just a simple dark color. all in all, she should be able to blend in the background.

thinking all of this over with more than just one grain of salt, maki adjusted her black leather gloves before taking one final breath of preparation, music being played in the background ironically as she readied herself. with the violins shrilling their words of appreciation and the solid thumps of the base drum at her heels, she merged into the dancing crowd, almost immediately being taken over by their systematic rhythm.

it was like sea's current had taken over her, and she bobbed and swayed with the jolly people as they moved along to the artistic symphony being played especially for them. for the most part, maki went unnoticed aside from a few sharp looks as she brushed and dodged past the waltzing couples, and they tried to keep an eye on their target until it was too suspicious to go any farther without a dance partner.

and that's how she came face to face, or rather, face to torso with an obnoxious little brat who nearly ruined her job right then and there. he was in fairly odd clothing, a coarse white jacket with numerous checkered patterns sewn in, seemingly at random. he had a mask with no distinct foundation, simply half black and half white as his ill-intending purple eyes peered out through the one laughing and other crying slits for eyes.

"wow, so who's gonna die?!" his grating voice immediately caused panic in maki- had she been found out? she masked these emotions with a cold eyed stare directed down towards the purple-haired menace. "what do you mean by that?"

"huuuh? i'm just joking around, 'cause of your mask- crows symbolize death yknow!!" he informed her with a drawn out syllable, tilting his head in a way that sent red blaring sirens off in maki's head. what cruel trick were the church members in charge of dressing trying to pull? she almost wanted to report it back to the organization, but the thought instantly had her reprimanding herself : just stick to the mission, no side quests that invite extra pressure into your life.

"...don't be stupid." was maki's simple response as she glowered down at him, and he just beamed steadily back up at her. "oooh, maybe i hit it right on the nose!!"

"stop and start dancing." maki hissed as they went to grab at his sleeve, to which he danced away surprisingly swiftly, but before either she could pursue or he could counter, a new song began, and it was time to start the standard dance procedure. gritting her teeth, she bowed to the other to avoid suspicion, muttering darkly under her breath, "i am maki harukawa, it's a pleasure to be your dance partner tonight."

"nishishi, a pleasure to meet you maki dear, i am kokichi ouma, your pleasurable dance partner for tonight!!" kokichi introduced himself, plowing through the proper introduction carelessly as maki's irritation festered further. she didn't say anything, though, and forced their muscles to move according to the others in the ballroom.

the tips of their fingers touch as they go to their starting positions, paralleling each other as they hold a hold a malignant gaze, although in different forms. one was mischievous, impish, and childish- while the other was deadly, silent, and mature ; vastly different, but both promising hell for the other, or at least their versions of it.

the second waltz from eyes wide shut began tentatively, but unafraid, and maki met kokichi as their limbs intersected, beginning the teasing dance fueled by the teetering rhythm. how fitting.

maki couldn't relax into the melody however, as kokichi's conniving hands seemed to constantly threaten to uncover her weapon. constantly snaking and breezing by, his touch light and hardly recognizable as she tried to keep tabs while harshly distancing him from any unwanted areas- which was her entire body really, but still. at one point, he'd went as far as tried to tickle her ribcage, only for his fingers directly rattle against the metal of her dagger.

"oh!!" kokichi's eyebrows shot up in malicious realization, and maki's gaze darkened as her mind screamed for her to take care of the threatening little worm, but she was still surrounded by others, and she had to save her mad dash for the queen herself.

the moment came far too late when the song stopped, and maki ripped away from kokichi's grip, who just balanced himself and snickered. she was backing away before he could say anything else, but suddenly she felt herself hit someone, and there were a few stifled gasps. whirling her head around, she was faced with staring eyes and a surprised kirumi tojo, the specific target she was ordered to take out that night.

her dress was sleeveless and crossed like a shell's opening around the neck, and the grey gown was like starlight flowing down like waves to her feet, pearly white heels. her refined features, her sharpened jawline, and dark charcoal mascara surrounding her sage green eyes that could be seen behind the dove mask she wore. she was poised and regal, not overbearing but still commanding order and attention to presence.

everything you'd expect of a queen, and maki had done the disservice of bumping into her. their masks paralleled, a bird of murder and a bird of peace, and it seemed the room could sense the tension. surprisingly enough, kirumi waved it away with a smile and dared to bow her head to this stranger who'd disrespected her. "why, good evening, i do not believe we've been introduced. you look quite lovely, might i add."

"..." maki was stunned into silence for a moment, although her mouth did not dare become parted in shock, and she clenched her teeth further while swallowing down her nerves. she robotically moved forward, taking the white lace glove of the queen's hand into hers and pressing her scarred lips to the fabric, kirumi's cold skin matching hers all the same, leaving a chilling sense of tingling on harukawa's lips as she looked back up at the other woman. "it is an honor to be in the presence of yourself, my majesty, and you look absolutely divine."

it was the most fluid and polite maki had spoken in quite a while, but it was something necessary for getting close to her various targets over the span of her lifetime. this time though, it came easy, because she truly did hold respect for the queen in front of her. kirumi was a force of nature, and it made her stomach churn to think she had to take that impactful life tonight.

"why thank you." kirumi said, and her tone of gratitude seemed genuine as she tilted her head to the side, a pleasant smile on her black painted lips- if any queen could pull off the dark gothic look, it was her, and it showed.

"it's no problem of mine." maki carefully constructed a response, and after that was said and done, they stood, looking at each other for a moment. the brunette could feel kirumi's eyes assessing her, but not in a suspicious way, closer to feeling like her interest had simply been piqued. it was stiflingly quiet, except for the unaware musicians still playing up a storm of delicate artistry.

"well, maki," finally, kirumi spoke, eyelashes fluttering as she smiled daintily at maki and a hand came reaching towards the latter as the former spoke, "would you care to join me for this dance?"

once again, maki was shell shocked to the point of her tongue falling limp, unable to form a reply at first. the queen was offering herself up to her soon to be murderer, not to mention on a silver platter. it was... much too good to be true. but at this point, it would be seen as an offense and even more suspicious to refuse kirumi, so biting the inside of her cheek, she dipped her head in acceptance. "i'd be honored, my majesty."

"wonderful." kirumi's smile seemed very pleased, so pleased that it made maki a bit anxious as they began to get into position, harukawa cursing herself as her heart seemed to be unable to contain its anxiety. why was she anxious? that was a dumb question for her sub conscious to ask, although it was a known fact that it was constantly looking for something to use to bring down her self esteem and confidence.

this was quite the job, it would severely impact the world, and at the same time it felt like it had grown personal, for whatever reason. really, what was the reason? that was a question maki didn't have an answer to, and she disregarded it as her fingers pressed against kirumi's, the action tying a knot at the bottom of the former's stomach.

there was excessive tension as they began to circle each other, fingers still brushing against each other, the touch light and distant, but at the same time extremely intimate, as if with each accidental forceful push to the other's hands, it was an attack for dominance. how had their dynamic escalated so quickly?

maki's breath caught in her throat as they moved to the next position, with kirumi taking the lead role by putting her hand on the red-eyed girl's hip, who was left to put her hand on the other's shoulder. with that, their hands intertwined and things felt far too close, too... just too much. why did it seem so important? her thoughts about the planned murder drifted away and she could only think about how tojo smelled of expensive perfume, but not in an obnoxious way- it was delicate, alluring, and it brought the protagonist closer and closer to the other.

maki blindly allowed kirumi to steer her into a graceful waltz, footsteps both carefully placed and pushed to the back of her mind as she kept her gaze stubbornly glued to the other woman's. it didn't seem as much as a challenge anymore, however, as it did a trance, a spell that had skillfully trapped her in a mindless rhythm.

the way kirumi held her hand... so gently, as if she was holding a priceless jewel essential to her success- it had maki spiraling. in just a few seconds, she was intoxicated by the queen, and she couldn't help but wonder if this was simply a gift that came with being royalty.

then, came the all too fateful moment, where kirumi dipped maki in one swift movement, and she felt so strangely safe in the other's grasp. their noses nearly brushed against each other, and everything fell away except for that one moment ; until the clattering of a metal against the floor could be heard.

maki's red eyes shot down in alarm and found the dagger exposed, while kirumi adorned a sad smile, arms still curled around the assassin's body. "it's truly disappointing to find out my hunch was correct, i had very much hoped that such an admirable woman wasn't out to kill me."

"..." maki would've thought all the life would've been sucked out of the moment as soon as the façade was over, but no, it was still just as enchanting as guards began to push through the crowd towards her. as they approached, she gave one last bitter glance to kirumi, although it was frustratingly hard to stay mad at the woman, before she had slipped from the other's clutch in a moment.

maki's body became infinitely lighter as she tossed her heavy velvet cape into the air, which covered her effectively, allowing her to gain a head start in her escape. she kept low to the ground, weaving in and out through the panicking patrons, shouting following her moves as there was an effort to cut her off. she wasn't about to be embarrassed by being seen behind bars after such a ridiculous pattern of events, and she pushed off the floor with a coiled jump.

maki was propelled forward, making it easy for her to latch onto the elegant curtains that hung from the ceiling to the floor, and she traveled up the cloth like a spider darting up its web, heavy footsteps stopping to try and chart their next plan to capture her. this was so annoying, how could she have let herself slip up like this? her chest burned angrily, and she wanted to lash out, to just complete her objective, because god knows what punishment would be awaiting her when she came back to the church.

it still didn't make sense to her- what had compelled maki to be so caught up in a frivolous exchange by someone with a fancy title? she thought this over as she slipped around the second story balcony entrance, footsteps light and nearly silent as she heard the shout of a man a ways behind her. "there, this way!!"

how irritating, did the palace guard always have to narrate their every move? they'd make awful assassins, that was for sure. maki guessed that's why they weren't assassins, and she was, but she didn't really think that was anything for her to be proud of : surely, they were happier in their brainless bodies than she was.

maki wove and sprinted through different corridors, until finally she came to the backside of the palace, which had merchants packing up their stores to bring home until tomorrow. she came to a stop on top of the stone railing overlooking one of these shop owners, who was in the midst of loading boxes of produce onto the back of a cart attached to a horse. she didn't have long to look over her surroundings, though, as heavily panting guardsmen caught up with her.

with an unimpressed look, maki turned to stare them down, only for her gaze to catch on the obviously out of place kirumi, in her shimmering gown, overseeing this all. how had she even kept up with these oafs in those heels? a part of the brunette told her that the queen had gotten ahead of them through her own various, much more calculated, means.

"you've been cornered, surrender now!!" one gratingly masculine voice shouted, and maki couldn't care enough to discern who was speaking as she stifled a yawn, a second incessant barking starting up. "pay for your planned assassination of our queen!!"

very, very unoriginal lines, if maki's ever heard them, and she certainly has. with a deadpanned expression, maki looked down at them, before fixing her gaze on kirumi once again, who remained quiet as she stared back. how infuriating. as if she would get caught by the likes of these idiots, and the thought almost made her smirk as she let gravity pull her down, falling backwards and away from the startled gasps that followed.

before she was even close to hitting the floor, though, maki had latched onto a chain meant for lowering garbage to be collected, and stopped herself, slight scraping sounds being emitted as she primed the toe of her boots against the stone wall. using the last bit of momentum that had come with the jump, she launched herself into the air and onto the back of the horse left relatively unwatched by its owner, and just like that, she was gone.

what an eventful evening that was.


End file.
